Vices and Virtues
by RobinsArt
Summary: "And now I present a true freak! From the depths of hell, straight to the ring!" You could only stare as they threw hin into the ring, and when he looked up, his dichromatic eyes were staring straight through you. Welcome to the dark carnival motherfucker.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

You were feeling sick, and not in an ironic way. An honest to god _sick_, that made you want to rid your stomach of all contents.

You were sitting in the bleachers, staring mortified into the center ring of this twisted carnival. In the middle of the ring, the Ringmaster brought his whip down across the shoulders of a guy in a cloak, who had his hands behind his back, locked in red, burning cuffs. He grit his teeth, his head bowed as he kneeled on the ground.

"Go on, make me motherfucking stop!" the Ringmaster taunted, running a hand through his wild hair. He towered over the cloaked figure, who radiated a sense of power. As much as you wanted to turn away, you couldn't even _move_.

The Ringmaster brought the whip back, about to strike, when the man in the cloak raised his head, speaking clearly, in a way that caught you off guard.

"_Stop_!" he said, and even though he was far away, his voice rang clear through the tent. "Stop your acts of vile cruelty, and lower your weapon."

And he did. He dropped it, in a trance like state. Everyone else in the tent dropped what they were holding, and you even let go of your phone. That was powerful, his words shaking you to the core.

Then, a loud bell rang, snapping you from your trance. The Ringmaster shook his head, smiling in a twisted way.

"The Sufferer, and his miraculous power of Sermon." he yelled, gesturing to the bleeding man on the ground.

Everyone cheered. They fucking _cheered_. Seriously?

The 'Sufferer' was dragged out of the ring, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Sick. You covered your mouth, feeling like you were going throw up. You thought Striders could handle a little blood, but that was brutal, testing the limits of your cool kid facade.

"And now, I give you a real _freak_!" The Ringmaster spat, saying the word like an insult. The lights darkened slightly, a spot light on him. "Dragged straight from the depths of hell, straight to this motherfucking ring! Be warned, he's dangerous!"

Two guys dragged the guy out, throwing him to the center of the ring, where he landed harshly on his knees, his hands tied behind his back. He was looking down, his head bowed like the Sufferer.

The Ringmaster stuck his juggling club under the others chin, forcing his head up, to look at the audience, and when he looked up, his dichromatic eyes were staring right through you. It was like you were an open book, and he was staring straight at your soul.

"A psionic, and a young one!" You were really starting to hate the ring master. The guy was still staring right at you, and you couldn't stop staring at his eyes. One was red, the other blue, and they were impossibly bright. "Watch, as he uses this miraculous power!"

Then, he raised the club, swinging towards the kid, and you actually jumped. The boy didn't even look away from you, his eyes just glowed, crackling with red and blue sparks, and the club stopped, covered in the same sparks radiating from his eyes.

You couldn't turn away, especially now. Those sparks burned into your mind, and you didn't know if it was possible to not stare directly at the kid in the center of the ring.

The Ringmaster let go, and ran his hand above and below the club, proving there weren't any wires, and damn, it looked real.

"Can I have a volunteer from the audience?" the Ringmaster called, looking over the shocked crowd. Your hand went up, and when you looked up at the mutinous limb, you notice the red sparks around your wrist. You look at the_ 'psionic'_, seeing him wink his blue eye at you, the other crackling with the same red sparks around your wrist.

"We have our volunteer!" you heard the other spectators clap, and took half a second to hate everyone, before standing up. This 'psionic' guy was the real deal, and obviously he wanted you for something. Plus, you were kind of afraid the Ringmaster would bludgeon you to death with his clubs if you didn't comply.

So, you hesitantly walked down, jumped off the bleachers, and hopped over the barrier and into the ring. You walked over to the Ringleader, trying to ignore that creepy ass smile, when your eyes lock with the psionic.

You don't know how, but he sees straight through your shades. You feel vulnerable around him, like he's the only one who can break down the walls you've spent your whole life building.

"What's your name, boy?" The Ringleader asks, the imaginary line between you two severing. You look at him, weary of that smile.

"Dave." you say casually, like the huge eight foot dude in front of you isn't terrifying as all hell.

"Well Dave, I want you to look this psionic in the eyes, and tell me what you see." he says, laughing maniacally.

You nod, turning your head back to gaze at Sollux's eyes. You see nothing out of the ordinary, except for a deep pain. His eyes look impossibly older than him, and deeper, you see an uncontrollable rage burning deep down. Nothing out of the normal human range of emotion.

"I don't see anything." you say, still holding the connection between the two of you.

"Your vision is jaded, your world tinted, let me show you his true colors."

Before you can even react, your prized shades are taken from you. You stare at him in shock, before your eyes instinctively close. "Hey asshole, give those back."

He laughs again, and you open your eyes when he grabs your wrist, yanking you forward harshly. "Or, could he not see anything because he is a freak himself?"

Everyone gasps, looking at your eyes.

Your burning red eyes.

Your name is Dave Strider, you are seventeen years old, and you have just been called a freak in front of a massive audience by a giant, deranged clown. What will you do?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

You don't get a choice in the matter, because fate doesn't always give you a choice, does it?

Everyone is staring at you in shock, your secret has been let out. This is a small conservative town, where anything beyond bland normality is hated and feared. And candy red eyes are way outside the norm. You watch their faces morph from shock, to fear and hatred. These are the people you've grown up around all your life. They now think you're a freak. They now hate you. You were always afraid of this.

"What to you have to say? You've lied to these people, you demon, what do you say to them?" he's screaming at you, but it's falling on deaf ears. As you look around, only one pair of eyes stand out to you. The psionic on the ground is looking at you, and in his crackling, burning heterochromatic eyes, you only see pity. No fear or anger or hate, just a deep pity that burns into you.

"What do you motherfucking say?" Ringleader screams again, and you only have one option. You flash-step out of his grip, and back away from him. You don't have any of your shitty katana's on you, Bro isn't here to come save you, and you don't even have your shades because he still has them. You're really scared right now, and you can't do anything about it.

"Fucking run." You look over at the psionic, who's staring at you. "I said run!"

And you do, you tear out of there like a bat out of hell. But it's not fast enough, because the Ringleader grabs you by the throat before you can even get out of the tent. You panic, clawing at his hands, and in the background, you register the psionic screaming, but you don't have any time to dwell on that because his hand is around your throat and_ youcan'tbreatheandeverythingisgoing dark_-

"Welcome to the dark carnival, motherfucker." Ringleader whispers in your ear, and then everything goes black.

You wake up sometime later in a dark room. Everything is moving around you, and you feel sick. And then, there's a cool hand pressed against your forehead.

"Dude, wake up. You gotta wake up."

You subconsciously reach for your shades, seriously, where'd they...oh, yeah. You open your eyes, seeing the psionic staring down at you.

"Where the fuck am I?" you ask, about to have a panic attack.

"He knocked you out and took you," he says, looking down at the ground. He has his arms wrapped around himself, like he's scared, and you can't blame him. Blood is pouring from the side of his head and the corner of his mouth, and he's covered in bruises. You feel really guilty, because a part of you thinks you're responsible for him getting beaten."Come on, I'm taking you to Fefari and Signless," he said, standing up and offering you a hand. You take it, and he helps you to your feet, tugging you along.

It hits you, when he opens a door that leads you outside, that you're on a train, and as he leads you to the next cart, you realize that this isn't the landscape of your home town. It's greener here, more trees, and it looks like wetlands. He leads you into the next cart with a sad look.

"Where are we?" you ask when he shuts the door behind you.

"Louisiana," he says, and you notice a slight lisp twisting his words. Not that it matters to you. It's more shocking to hear you've left the state you were born and raised in. It's like a crushing weight just hit your chest. How's Bro going to save you if he can't find you?

He walks past the book shelves, clothes racks, and dressers that take up most of the cart, to the end of the cart, where a table is pressed up against the wall, and four people sit around it, talking in quiet voices.

"Guys," your guide announces your presence, and four sets of eyes turn your way. You can pick out the Signless, who looks at you with red eyes, similar to yours. He's dressed in a shirt and jeans, a lot different from during the performance. Right beside him is a kid that looks a lot like him, but a few years younger and a lot smaller, with an oversized hoodie that only makes him look smaller. He's sitting in the lap of a younger, happy looking version of the Ringleader, but without the intimidating aura. He looks happy, and a little out of it with his crazy black hair and glazed indigo eyes. The forth person is a girl your age, with long brown hair and big, purple eyes behind pink framed glasses. She's taping gauze around Signless's wrists, where you know the burns from last nights performance are.

"Sollux, you next, sit down by Signless," the girl said, sternly gesturing for the psionic boy to sit down. He does, sitting in a chair next to Signless and patting the seat next to him for you. "He should still tone it down," the girl, Fefari you think, says, finishing wrapping up Signless's wrist.

"He doesn't know his strength, he can't help himself," he said, taking his wrists back and looking down at them sadly. "And it isn't his decision to 'make things more interesting'." Under his shirt, you can see the bandages wrapped around his back. You can't help but be surprised that he seems to be defending the Ringleader.

"Stop defending him," the guy that looks a lot like him said, crossing his arms. The kid who looks like the Ringleader shushes him, patting his cheek, and the other seems to relax slightly, but the angry expression doesn't leave his face.

"Karkat, you know why I do this," he said, patting his knee.

"He's not your friend, friends don't hurt you like that," 'Karkat' says, frowning at Signless. "What if it gets worse?" Every one is quiet for a moment, probably thinking about it.

"Don't worry motherfucker, I'll talk to daddy-o and get him to calm it down. Ain't motherfucking fun is my friend gets all up and angry," the mini Ringleader says.

"Thank you Gamzee," Signless says, smiling at him. He smiles back, patting Karkat on the head like a pet cat.

"Wow Sollux, are you feeling okay?" Fefari says, and when you look over you see she's looking at his head. It looks pretty bad, but you know its just the drying blood. The cut isn't even that deep.

"Head injuries bleed more," you mutter, suddenly feeling eyes on you again. "If you hold a compress there for a little it will stop bleeding quicker. Better if it's cold."

"Cold compress?" Fefari questions, reaching under the table. She pulls out an ice pack and wraps it in a towel the Signless hands her, then presses it to Sollux's head.

"Yeah, stops the bleeding quicker," you say with a shrug. You learned a few things from your strife's with Bro, and though it rarely came down to it, first aid was one of those things.

After a few minutes, Fefari pulls the compress away. The bleeding already stopped. "Wow, that's a lot better," she says, smiling."Thank you-"

"Dave," you say in way of introduction. She smiles, bandaging Sollux's head. Well, looks like you made a new friend.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, how the fuck do you Grand Highblood? Any way, I'm looking for a beta because I'm shit. I predict people slamming heads on their keyboards. Also, shitty ending is shitty. Oh well, next chapter soon!And a big thanks to the guest: nevahmind for telling me about my formatting malfunction.

~Robin


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

You quickly learn everyone's names, which is surprising, because normally you're horrible with that shit. And not to mention these names are fucking weird. Like, who the fuck names their kid Karkat?

Anyway, you met everyone on board the train. Most of them are related to someone, like Karkat and his brother Signless, which surprisingly isn't a nickname. Gamzee, the stoner clown, is the son of the Ringleader, and Fefari is the daughter of the circus's owner, Condesce.

Sollux takes you around to introduce you to everyone else, which is a fairly different experience. The first person you two find is Kanaya, a sassy girl with caramel skin that works in wardrobe. She's sewing a pair of pants as you two walk into the cart, but she immediately puts her work down to introduce herself.

"Greeting, I am Kanaya Maryam," she says, an extreme formality coloring her words.

"Dave Strider," you respond lamely, shaking the hand she offers you. After a brief pause, she goes right back to her work, and Sollux continues with the tour.

You end up meeting around nine people after that, and it starts getting overwhelming. You remember most of them through familial links. Eridan, the most hipster person you've ever seen, is Fefari's stepbrother. Nepeta, a shorter girl with Eurasian features is the little sister of Equius, an engineer that helps out Sollux's brother occasionally. Vriska, who has some relation to Equius, her older sister (who Sollux won't introduce you to) being his aunt or something similar, is this spider obsessed bitch that likes annoying Tavros, a crippled Hispanic boy with a fo-hawk. He has an older brother who takes care of the animals the circus owns, a pretty friendly guy.

You bump into Kanaya's aunt later on, a motherly woman in her early forties, who also happens to be the Signless's mom, which you guess makes Kanaya… Karkat's aunt? You ask Sollux and he just shrugs.

Aradia is another animal trainer, a girl with flaming red hair pulled back into a bun and tucked into her fedora. Sollux smiles at her, and she returns it, but there's a sadness to her eyes. Her mom doesn't work on the train, she's the assistant to one of the sponsors for the circus. Sollux quickly goes to introduce you to someone else when that topic is brought up.

That someone else happens to be Terezi, a blind girl with short brown hair and pointed red glasses. In the two minutes you talk to her, she hits you with her walking stick twice and then tries to lick your face, saying she smells something red, whatever that means. Sollux pushes you out of the cart before she can do anymore damage, mentioning her mom is the Ringleaders adviser.

Nepeta has an older sister, around eighteen with crazy black hair that reaches her waist. She's actually the Signless's girlfriend, and the way she talks about him is nothing short of hero worship. Her brother, who's also Equius's older brother you think, hangs behind her, a nervous guy that, like his younger brother, immediately starts sweating when you talk to him. He runs off to go find a towel and Sollux rolls his eyes, leads you back to where you first met the others.

"Sorry, we haven't had new faces around here in a while," he explains, shrugging his shoulders. You nod, too tired to make some stupid joke. "How do you like the circus?"

"I miss Bro," you blurt, not really thinking about it. "Oh-"

"Don't worry, I get it," Sollux says, sitting down at a vacant chair. Gamzee and Karkat are asleep where you two left them, but Sollux doesn't seem concerned about waking them. The rest of the cart is empty. "I don't get to see my brother, he's practically the Condesce's slave."

You nod, sitting down next to him. "What's it like, working here?"

He pauses for a moment, thinking about it. "Honestly? This place is hell."

So, yeah, turns out you guys actually want me to write this, go figure. Sorry this took so long, I hurt my wrist and typing with this brace on is a bitch. Still looking for a beta. Anyway, lots of love!


End file.
